After a tour of the Abrau-Durso sparkling wine factory and after lunch, which in dining room No. 1 cost us 600 rubles. For two of us, we went for a walk to the beautiful Lake Abrau, which, along with the Abrau-Durso plant, attracts thousands of tourists every year.
How to get to Lake Abrau
If you have a desire, then you can stay in Abrau-Durso for several days. Here, as in other resort places, you can rent a hotel room or a room in a boarding house or camp site. More detailed information can be obtained from the tourist center located right in front of the entrance to the walking area of Lake Abrau, or visit official website of Abrau-Durso. At the information center you will be given a tourist map with lots of useful information.
Among other things, in the village of Abrau-Dyurso there are several walking routes ranging from 3 to 9 km in length and several tracks for jeeping. And if you come empty-handed, they will give you a fishing rod and a tent to rent. This is exactly how tourism is now in the vastness of Abrau-Durso - correct and pleasant.
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We did not stay here for several days, our schedule was tight, and we focused only on sightseeing of Lake Abrau.
From the information center to the right there is a fair where anyone can buy souvenirs from their visit to Abrau-Durso. The central composition of the fair is the carousel, which on the tourist map, as well as the water pump building behind the carousel, are marked as local attractions.
Leaving the fair alone, we go towards a beautiful fountain that releases streams of water directly from the paving slabs. 
The central composition of the walking area on Lake Abrau is an amphitheater, with a sculpture installed in front of it of Leonid Utesov and the shepherd from Abrau-Durso, whom he played in the Soviet comedy “Jolly Fellows.” 
Lake Abrau
Lake Abrau is recognized as a natural monument, so you can move around it only by hand (oar) or foot (catamarans). We couldn't deny ourselves the pleasure of taking a boat ride on the turquoise surface of the water. By the way, this color is given to the lake by limestone, with which some scientists associate the origin of the lake, but their opinions differ. Scientists still cannot decide whether the lake was formed as a result of a karst failure, or whether it is the remains of an ancient freshwater basin. 
Since the lake is freshwater, by the way the largest in the Krasnodar Territory, the fish found in it are freshwater and can only be caught with a fishing rod all year round, except during the spawning period. As some sources say, Lake Abrau has one mystery: it is a mystical white stripe that is visible only at night, and is the last to freeze in winter. We were unable to verify empirically whether this strip exists, but there is no reason not to believe the sources of this information, so if you find yourself on Lake Abrau in the dark or during frost, dispel our doubts. 
Another attraction near Lake Abrau is the Church of St. Xenia of St. Petersburg; its snow-white silhouette rises beautifully on the cape. 
Not far from the temple there is the “House by the Lake”, this is another piece of the walking area along the lake. 
The embankment of Lake Abrau is very well-groomed; it’s simply pleasant to walk along it, watching the floating boats and the play of light on the surface of the water. 
And so that vacationers don’t get bored during their walks, the entire Lake Abrau park is equipped with thematic sculptural compositions: from a bottle of champagne to a yellow submarine. 
At the end of the embankment there is a boat pier framed by arches. In spring, the Judas tree blooms here, as the European crimson tree is called, a light-loving tree or shrub whose habitat is the Mediterranean. 
For me, Lake Abrau will be primarily remembered for this wooden pier, sinking into the turquoise surface of the lake, blinding with the glare of the sun. 
The excursion itself was particularly memorable and impressive. Abrau-Durso is an excellent tourist place, with an impressive centuries-old history. There may be no special reason to stay here for a week, but a day excursion to Abrau-Durso will pay off the impressions handsomely. The beautiful lake and ancient factory cellars will not leave you indifferent. So if you have chosen Gelendzhik or its surroundings for your summer holiday, then don’t be lazy, be sure to visit Abrau-Durso, and since it is not far from Novorossiysk, be sure to see it too.
A trip to the beautiful Lake Abrau, located in the village of Abrau.
Date of download:
2016-10-18
Video: Trip to Abrau-Durso
The Krasnodar region is famous for its wealth and beauty. It has a lot of everything: mountains, hills of different heights, rivers and streams, and several lakes.
The largest local lake with fresh water is Abrau. It is 3 kilometers long and 630m wide. It can be found on the Abrau Peninsula, it is 14 kilometers from. The local plant for the production of famous champagne wines, Abrau-Durso, also uses his name.
Scientists still cannot come to a common denominator about the origin of the lake. Some say karst shifts are to blame, others blame landslides, others claim that Abrau is a remnant of the once large Cimmerian Basin, supposedly located in those places.
Local residents are also not lagging behind; they have their own version, not devoid of romanticism. Allegedly, the shepherd Durso (apparently French) and the daughter of wealthy parents, Abrau, once lived in those places. Her parents, of course, were not going to accept the poor guy and locked her in the house, wishing the village to disappear somewhere. So, they say, the village, along with the layer of earth, sank, and the groundwater came out.
Another legend is that on the site of the lake there was an aul with rich and arrogant inhabitants. They wanted to pave the road to the sea with gold and silver (they apparently had nowhere to go). However, it seemed too much to the higher powers and the entire village fell down, and the underground water came out.
There is only one conclusion: residents believe the underground origin of the lake and some kind of shift in the earth's layer.
The peculiarity of the lake is that it is drainless, not a single river flows out, and there is only one tributary - Durso, not counting the numerous small springs and streams carrying their water from the peaks.
Lake today
Abrau is certainly a natural monument of the region, its picturesque and peaceful corner. At its deepest point it is 11m, but local elders are sure that a few decades ago the depth was 30m. This indicates rapid siltation of the water and the reservoir is gradually becoming shallow, although the authorities are trying to take measures.
On one side there are no visible drains from the lake, only tributaries, but the water goes somewhere. Maybe it goes back underground or dries up?
Nearby on the shore there is a factory bearing the same name; they have been peaceful neighbors for a long time and it practically does not interfere with the picturesque pictures around. Unless it makes a small adjustment, hinting at human activity. Tourists are taken to it every now and then, organizing excursions where they tell how and where Taman wines are produced. The program also includes a visit to the lake itself. the guide can tell one of the local legends about the origin of the name.
Otherwise, Abrau is a large, beautiful lake framed by trees, dense thickets found on the shores, and stones of various sizes. Walking in those places is a pleasure, since the mild and temperate climate of the region is conducive to this. The surface of the water is constantly cut by boats and boats with fishermen are found here and there. There is also a church nearby; it is clearly visible from the water on the top of a small hill, standing close to the water.
The lake itself is also quite inhabited. Silt and algae, there are crayfish, you can catch Abrau sprat. You can also swim in it.
There are many legends associated with the lake. An Adyghe legend says that in ancient times, in the mountains of the Krasnodar Territory there was a rich village whose inhabitants boasted of their prosperity. One day they wanted to line the path leading to the seashore with silver and gold. The Lord was angry with them, and the village sank into the ground. Instead, a large lake appeared.
According to another legend, a long time ago there lived a poor shepherd Durso and the daughter of a rich father Abrau, who were uncontrollably in love with each other. One day, the rich people from the Abrau family, having fun at a celebration, scattered bread in full view of the poor. God was angry with the rich for this act, destroyed the village and placed a lake in its place. When Abrau returned home after a walk with her lover, she discovered a lake on the site of the village. In despair, the girl jumped off the cliff. But she did not die, but reached Durso, standing on the opposite bank. They say that sometimes traces of a beauty are visible on the surface of the lake.
You can hear these and many other legends of Lake Abrau while relaxing in the lake area in the summer of 2019 or coming here on an excursion. This place is great for relaxing and swimming, as the water warms up to +28 in summer. Here you can go fishing: the reservoir is home to carp, perch and carp. The amazing beauty of Lake Abrau and its picturesque shores will not leave any tourist indifferent.
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Abrau is the largest freshwater lake in the Krasnodar Territory, located in the southwest of the region on the low-mountain Abrau Peninsula, 14 km from Novorossiysk. The village of Abrau is located on the shore. As part of Russia, active agricultural and recreational development of its shores began in 1872. A natural monument since 1979.
The greatest depth is about 11 meters, with an average depth of 5.8 meters. The area is 0.6 km2, the drainage area is 20.3 km2.
History of the study of Lake Abrau
In 1870, on behalf of the emperor, to study the lake, a special commission was created of agronomists and engineers to inspect the surroundings of the lake, Abrau, which concluded the “royal decree on the establishment of a new special appanage estate, giving it the name “Abrau-Durso”. In 1872, following the advice of French winemakers, vineyard cultivation began in the vicinity of the lake, which, however, had a negative impact on the hydrography of the lake itself, due to increased erosion of the coastal slopes of the mountains. Researcher of the Azov-Black Sea shores V.P. Zenkovich noted:
“Even more interesting is the large Lake Abrau, framed by a ring of vineyards. It is located in a deep valley where an unknown obstacle has stopped the flow of water..."
Aerial photography of Lake Abra
Hydrography of Lake Abrau
This is the second largest mountain lake in the Greater Caucasus (after Lake Kazenoyam in Dagestan). The length of Abrau is more than 3,100 m, the greatest width is 630 m, the depth is 10.5 meters, the mirror area is 1.6-1.8 km². The drainage basin area is 20.3 km². The maximum depth is observed at the dam, but over the past century and a half it has decreased from 30 to 10.5 meters as a result of erosion of the surrounding banks after the construction of roads and the establishment of vineyards. The height above sea level is 84 m. The isthmus separating the lake Abrau from the Black Sea is small and less than 2 km wide.
Only the small Abrau River, about 5.3 km long, constantly flows into it, as well as a number of temporary watercourses, including local stormwater, which are fed mainly by precipitation and runoff from local enterprises. In addition, there are springs at the bottom. Most of the lake's catchment area (61%) is occupied by the river basin. Abrau; other watercourses flowing into the lake occupy 6.3 km² (31%), the remaining 1.6 km² (8%) is occupied by the water surface itself, on which precipitation also directly falls. Not a single river flows from it, so formally it is considered the final (estuary). The water entering the lake is spent on evaporation, as well as on underground runoff, which occurs in the form of water filtration through the body of the dam. Therefore, it remains fresh and marsh vegetation is not developed in it. Due to the limestone dissolved in the water, its waters have a white-blue or emerald color and their transparency is low (about 1 m).
The lake region is dominated by a dry Mediterranean climate, which also affects its hydrography: maximum water levels are observed from November to March and are associated with precipitation in the form of rain and sleet. In summer there is low water.
Temperature regime of Lake Abrau
Abrau does not freeze even in winter. The minimum average monthly temperature of the surface layer of water in the lake near the shore reaches its annual minimum in January, but even then it is positive and on average equals +0.2º. A rapid increase in water temperature in the surface layer begins in April and continues until the end of July.
The maximum average monthly water temperature reaches an average of 24.8º, and from August the water begins to gradually cool. The absolute maximum temperature of the surface layer of water was recorded in 1954 and reached 29.8º.
Origin of Lake Abrau
Hypotheses about the origin of the lake are still quite controversial. It is fraught with mysteries related to its origin. Some scientists suggest that the basin was formed as a result of a karst failure, others - that it is a remnant of the ancient Cimmerian freshwater basin, and others associate this with huge landslides.
Although karst relief of a Mediterranean nature is common on the Abrau Peninsula, the theory of a karst sinkhole is unlikely for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the Abrau Mountains are relatively young.
Secondly, karst lakes are sinkholes and therefore usually have a round shape, and at Abrau it follows the contours of the river valley. Abrau rather resembles a typical dam reservoir with an expansion at the dam.
The landslide theory is also unlikely, since in the area of the Abrau dam, which separates it from the sea, there are no high mountain peaks from which impressive blocks could break off. As a result, it is most realistic to associate the origin of the lake with an earthquake, which led to a displacement of the earth’s crust in the area of the dam.
Fauna of Lake Abrau
Its fauna is unique. According to the research of V.A. Vodyanitsky, the plankton is dominated by the Caspian crustacean Heterocope caspia, and there is an endemic ectinosomal crustacean (Ectinosoma abrau). Among the bottom fauna there are also a number of organisms characteristic of estuaries or the Caspian Sea. These are the amphipods strong (Poptogammarus robustus), Korofiya, Botta's orchestia, the isopod - Nordmann's jera, Kovalevsky's mesomisis. Most of the bottom is populated by the red bloodworm (up to 250 specimens/m2) and the oligochaete tubifex (up to 400/m2).
Thus, the bottom fauna clearly shows the estuary-marine character of this relict lake. A small herring (Clupeonalla abrau) 8.5 cm long also lives in it. There are a lot of them in the lake; mysids serve as food for it.
Located next to the sea coast, Lake Abrau turns out to be an attractive destination for recreation and educational excursions.
The surrounding area of the reservoir is often called “little Switzerland” in the Caucasus.
The lake has long presented mysteries - with its appearance, incomprehensible and inexplicable phenomena that occur on the water surface at night.
The freshwater reservoir near Novorossiysk is the largest in area in the Krasnodar Territory - its length is 3100 m, its width reaches 600 m, and its maximum depth is over 11 m.
According to one version, Lake Abrau arose on the site of a huge karst failure. There is an assumption that in ancient times it was part of the Cimmerian freshwater basin. Some scientists are of the opinion that landslide phenomena are the reason for the appearance of a reservoir on the Abrau Peninsula.
Spread among wooded foothills at an altitude of 84 m above sea level, Lake Abrau is a real pearl of the North-West Caucasus. The water is clean, warms up to almost 28 degrees in summer, and sometimes becomes slightly cloudy due to the presence of dissolved limestones in it. The reservoir is rich in fish - it contains crucian carp, silver and golden carp, Abrau kulik, golden orfa, a lot of trout, rudd, bream, ram, grass carp, carp and silver carp, as well as crayfish. In the forests around the lake, berries ripen in mid-summer, and mushrooms appear closer to autumn.
Mysteries of Lake Abrau
Lake Abrau offers an interesting puzzle - a small, babbling mountain stream rushes towards the reservoir, filling it with water. There are several springs at the bottom, but the water level does not rise. The question arises: where does the water go? This amount of moisture cannot evaporate. No answer yet.
And the second mystery - on the water surface of Lake Abrau, even on moonless nights, a white stripe appears, as if illuminated from the depths by an unknown light source. Sometimes eyewitnesses claim that the entire lake mirror is slashed. With the arrival of winter, the reservoir freezes, and the last strip is covered with ice, although it still darkens for a long time against the background of the ice cover dusted with the first snow.
The mysterious path has been known for several centuries, and pathfinders are trying to find the cause of its occurrence. But until now only popular beliefs explain this mystery.
The legend of the origin of Lake Abrau
Translated from Circassian “abrau” means “failure” or “precipice”. An ancient Caucasian legend tells about a prosperous village located in a valley on the site of a lake. In the neighboring village, on the site of present-day Durso, poor people suffering from hunger settled. As is usual in legends, a girl from a rich family fell in love with a poor shepherd. The parents would never allow the lovers to stay together, and the Circassian woman secretly went on a date with her beloved.
One day, the rich people organized a grand celebration, and, not knowing how to have fun, they began throwing bread cakes at each other. God was angry at such disrespect for bread and sent the village with all its inhabitants underground. Returning from a date with her lover, the girl saw a lake at the site of the settlement, threw herself into the water out of despair, but did not plunge into the depths, but suddenly ran along the surface, as if along a path, to look for her home. So the old-timers believe that the luminous stripe on top of the water reach is its traces. From the tears of the poor girl, a small river arose, running to Lake Abrau. They call it “Tears of a Circassian Woman.”
Attractions near Lake Abrau
Champagne wine factory
On the shore of the reservoir in 1870, by decree of Tsar Alexander II, an estate was founded, which two decades later turned into a center for the production of Abrau-Durso champagne wines under the leadership of French winemakers.
The history of the village of Abrau is inextricably linked with the development of winemaking in the Caucasus. A few years after the founding of the estate, which belonged to the royal family, agronomist F. Heyduk brought almost 20 thousand Riesling grape vines to Abrau-Dyurso from Germany, and Portugieser from Vienna. Soon the plantations were replenished with Crimean seedlings of Aligote, Cabernet, Pinot Blanc, and Sauvignon, and construction of a cellar began on the estate, which could hold almost 10 thousand bottles of champagne. Very soon the plant became the leading winery in the empire, and with the appointment of Prince Golitsyn to the post of manager, the enterprise significantly expanded its capacity with the construction of 5 more cellars carved into the rock, with a total capacity of over 50,000 buckets of wine.
The plant stopped operating only twice in its history - during the Second World War and in 1985 with the adoption of the so-called “Prohibition Law”.
Today, Abrau-Durso champagne is in great demand on the Russian market; it has received about one and a half hundred awards at international exhibitions - gold, silver, and Grand Prix.
The Wine Tourism Center offers educational tours of the plant for everyone, during which tourists get acquainted with the production, cellars, watch a film about the history of the enterprise, and taste the best varieties of champagne. There are several main types of excursions, their cost ranges from 250 rubles per person without tasting to 650 rubles for those who decide to taste 6 types of wine. VIP excursions are conducted for groups of 5 people, the price for the entire group is 10,000 rubles. Duration from one and a half to two hours.
Art park in Abrau-Durso
A walk along the embankment of the village of Abrau-Durso brings incredible aesthetic pleasure. Picturesque landscapes of the shores of the lake with a curly crown of pine trees, the neat, stately building of the Temple of Xenia of Petersburg, nestled on a steep cliff, but the Art Park provides a special effect of surprise.
Many unusual elements of landscape design surprise everyone who decides to stroll along the alleys of the park. Here on the embankment is a fountain in the form of a foaming bottle of champagne, the metal heart of the monument to “All Lovers”, a sculpture of the hero of the film “Jolly Fellows” in the shadow of a snow-white gazebo.
At the end of the embankment is the entrance to the park. Each of the interactive objects evokes conflicting impressions among visitors - ruffly storks made of wooden planks, sundials made of stone blocks. Children really love the composition “Wind and Music”, the gazebo with colorful barrels and the huge wicker eggs of the art object “Nest”, but the strange ants or the composition “With New Happiness” cause bewilderment in everyone, and the relief mosaic “Grape Harvest” few people understand. The greatest delight reigns around the huge barrel-dance floor, simulating the process of pressing grapes with your feet.
After visiting the Art Park, tourists, having had some fun, go for a walk along Lake Abrau. The boat station is located on the embankment; the cost of renting a boat costs 75 rubles per person for half an hour. You will have to row the oars yourself.
Lotus Lake
A few kilometers from Lake Abrau, near the small village of Khutor Lesnichestvo, there is a small reservoir, the remnant of a former reservoir. People once planted several lotuses near its shores, which grew and covered the entire surface of the water. Now, when the time comes for beautiful plants to bloom, the pond turns into a surprisingly romantic place, to which many vacationers in the tourist hotels of Durso and Abrau strive.
Where to stay
Directly near Lake Abrau among the pine forest and in the settlement of the same name there are several hotels for accommodation and recreation - the Laguna Hotel, the Ivango Guest House, as well as in Dyurso - the guest houses Valeria, Dyurso, and Rainbow in Dyurso ", "Eden", "Vorontsov Estate", "Chocolate". The cost of living is from 1500 to 3500 rubles per room per day.
How to get to Lake Abrau
Russia, Krasnodar region, Novorossiysk district, Abrau-Durso
Coordinates (G): 44°42′ N. w. 37°35′ E. d.
The nearest airport from Abrau-Durso is in Anapa, the railway station is in Novorossiysk. A flight from Moscow to Anapa will cost 6,500 rubles, a train trip to Novorossiysk will cost from about 3,000 rubles.
You can get from Anapa to Abrau-Durso by bus. The fare is approximately 85 rubles. From Novorossiysk, minibus No. 102 departs from the bus station, ticket price is 23 rubles.
For tourists with their own transport, it is worth recalling that in Abrau-Durso there are no opportunities to replenish gasoline supplies; the nearest gas station is in Glebovka.
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